One type of conventional sauna equipment humidifies a sauna cabinet by supplying hot water to a mist sprayer. (For example, refer to pp 3 to 7 and FIGS. 1 to 5 of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2002-336327.)
The conventional sauna equipment is described below with reference to FIG. 8.
As shown in FIG. 8, main unit 1101 of the sauna equipment includes air-circulating channel 1105 for taking air into sauna cabinet 1103 via air inlet 1102 and blowing air to inside sauna cabinet 1103 via air outlet 1104, circulating fan 1106 for feeding air to this air-circulating channel 1105, heat exchanger 1108 as air heater 1107 for heating air passing through air-circulating channel 1105, thermomotive valve 1109 for intermittently supplying hot water to this heat exchanger 1108, spraying nozzle 1111 as mist sprayer 1110, hot-water channel 1112 for supplying hot water to spraying nozzle 1111, and solenoid valve 1113 for intermittently supplying hot water to spraying nozzle 1111. Hot water supplied through hot-water channel 1112 is sprayed from spraying nozzle 1111 in the form of a mist. Circulating fan 1106 is activated, and hot water, which is a heat-carrying medium, is also circulated and supplied to heat exchanger 1108 by controlling the opening and closing of thermomotive valve 1109 so as to maintain the temperature inside sauna cabinet 1103 at a predetermined temperature. A high-temperature and high-humidity sauna space is achieved by blowing circulating air heated by this heat exchanger 1108 to inside sauna cabinet 1103.
Types of sauna include a dry sauna which produces a high-temperature low-humidity environment of about 100° C. and relative humidity of 10% in the cabinet, and a steam sauna which produces a medium-to-high temperature and high-humidity environment of about 40 to 50° C. and relative humidity of 70% or higher. Sauna equipment has recently been drawing attention which can be installed in a bath or shower room to permit the use of the bath or shower room itself as a sauna cabinet. Various types of steam saunas have been proposed. (For example, refer to p 5 and FIG. 3 in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H6-63103.)
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the key parts of conventional sauna equipment, briefly illustrating its internal structure. As shown in FIG. 9, hot-water spraying pipe 2105 with multiple hot-water spraying nozzles 2104 is disposed on the upper part of the inside of external housing 2101. Heat-exchange accelerator 2108, configured with multiple thin plates 2107 and coupling pipes 2106, is disposed underneath hot-water spraying pipe 2105. Fan unit 2109 is disposed underneath heat-exchange accelerator 2108. A proportion of the hot water sprayed from hot-water spraying nozzles 2104 to heat-exchange accelerator 2108 evaporates and generates steam. This steam is added to the air taken in by fan unit 2109 from air inlet 2102 and is then blown into the sauna cabinet from steam outlet 2103. The hot water after heat exchange is collected in drain pan 2110 and discharged outside.
One known example of this type of conventional sauna equipment is mist equipment which is installable on a ceiling of a bathroom to permit the use of the bathroom as a sauna cabinet. (For example, refer to pp 3 to 5 and FIG. 5, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2002-336327.)
This mist equipment is described next with reference to FIG. 10.
As shown in FIG. 10, grille plate 3104 is disposed to cover main unit 3103 in which circulating fan 3101 and movable louver are provided. Main unit 3103 includes air-circulating channel 3107 for taking in air inside the cabinet via air inlet 3105 and blowing it from air outlet 3106, circulating fan 3101 for feeding air to air-circulating channel 3107, heat exchanger 3108 for heating air passing through air-circulating channel 3107, and movable louver 3102 for changing the direction of the air blown through air outlet 3106. Furthermore, ventilation fan 3110 is provided so as to take in air inside the cabinet and discharge it outside through exhaust duct 3109, and mist sprayer 3111 for spraying mist inside the cabinet is provided at the side of air inlet 3105. This creates a sauna space.
Another known example of sauna equipment is a mist-type bathroom heater in which a mist nozzle unit is installed in a bathroom. (For example, refer to p 2 and FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H6-88629.)
This mist-type bathroom heater is described next with reference to FIG. 11.
As shown in FIG. 11, mist nozzle unit 3114 connected to bathwater boiler with mist sauna function 3113 is installed in bathroom 3112. This mist nozzle unit 3114 is equipped with large mist nozzle 3115 for discharging a large volume of mist and small mist nozzle 3116 for discharging a small volume of mist. Switching valve 3117 switches hot water supplied through pipe 3118 between large mist nozzle 3115 and small mist nozzle 3116. Mist remote control 3119 and temperature sensor 3120 are provided in bathroom 3112, and these are connected to bathwater boiler with mist sauna function 3113 by signal line 3121. Gas supply line 3122 and water-supply line 3123 are also connected to bathwater boiler with mist sauna function 3113.
In this equipment, controller 3124 switches switching valve 3117 to large mist nozzle 3115 when the temperature inside bathroom 3112 is low, so as to emit a large amount of mist to bathroom 3112, and then switches to small mist nozzle 3116 when the temperature inside bathroom 3112 reaches a predetermined temperature.